Black and white photos strip themselves of the eye-catching colors, and what they are left with are textures, shapes, and lighting. To capture truly incredible black and white photos, professional and amateur photographers tend to play with contrast, depth and hues to make them stand out.
To celebrate the most innovative photographers in the black and white category, the reFocus Awards announced the Winners of the 2024 Black & White Photo Contest, which we are glad to share with you, Pandas! This contest featured entries from photographers in 49 countries, but only 18 photos received Gold awards, with 3 of those also being selected as overall winners among professional photographers.
#1 Overall Contest Winner, 2nd Place: "Half Brothers" By Kyriakos Kaziras
Also won Gold in the Wildlife category.
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16points
#2 Overall Contest Winner, 1st Place: "The Right To Know" By Roberta Vagliani
Also won Gold in the Photojournalism category.
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15points
#3 Aerial Category Winner: "Crosswalk" By Yongseok Chun
Also Nominated in the Minimalism category.
"The camera captured various images of citizens crossing the pedestrian crossing."
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12points
#4 Fine Art Category Winner: "Morning Light" By David Zlotky
Also won Gold in Film/Analog category.
"Sometimes the photography gods present us with just the right play of light in just the right place to create a magical scene. I photographed this example on film using a Hasselblad camera. Lens flare created pentagonal shapes and streaks of light that added to the atmosphere quality."
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12points
#5 Nature Category Winner: "Romance In The Cottonwoods" By Michael Paul
Also Nominated in the Wildlife category.
"All of nature seemed in harmony when an early rut season meeting brought these two moose together in the Wyoming wilderness."
11points
#6 Overall Contest Winner, 2nd Place: "Mirror" By Szymon Brodziak
Also won Gold in the Conceptual category, Gold in the Abstract category, and Silver in the Fine Art category.
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10points
#7 Film/Analog Category Winner: "No Land For Old Man" By Heikki Leis
"This is a photo from the series 'Form is temporary. Class in permanent.'
The photo was taken with a Wista45 large format camera."
The photo was taken with a Wista45 large format camera."
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10points
#8 Minimalism Category Winner: " Curves" By Renee Giffroy
Also won Silver in the Abstract category, the People’s Vote Award in the Abstract category, and received Honorable Mention in the Conceptual category.
"Tulip leaf."
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10points
#9 Architecture Category Winner: "The Moment Before" By Daryl Getman
Also won Bronze in the Minimalism category, received an Honorable Mention in the Fine Art Category, and was Nominated in the Event category.
"Jennifer had just put on the wedding dress and was about to step out of the room, when this moment aligned. I relish organic images that feel timeless and this moment reminds me of an Americana or Folk Art painting in its simplicity of form, shape, shadow and light."
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9points
#10 Event Category Winner: "A Bite Of The Big Apple" By Salvatore Corso
Also received an Honorable Mention in the People category.
"Everything happens, in New York City. Individuals who look tiny and insignificant, in comparison to the immensity of this place, can appear as large as buildings at street level, on the most important day of their lives."
9points
#11 People Category Winner: Urban Maloya By Jean-Marc Grenier
"Every Thursday night, the urban Ron Maloya takes place in Saint-Denis, the main city of Réunion island. Along the waterfront, people and musicians flock from nearby towns to commune over their mutual love for Maloya. These gatherings pulsate with the vigor and solidarity of this art form."
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9points
#12 Portrait Category Winner: "African Tribal Portraits" By Susan Greeff
Also received the People’s Vote Award in the Portrait category.
"Surma Tribe of the Omo Valley, Ethiopia."
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9points
#13 Street Category Winner: "Take Five Everyone!" By Pat Corlin
Also received an Honorable Mention in the People category.
"On the streets of Harlem, in the city of New York, I came upon a small group of extras taking a quick break from filming. One actor gave me a smile and a nod before dropping back into character for me. I lifted my camera, took one shot, smiled, gave him a nod and went on my way. I Love New York!"
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9points
#14 Landscapes Category Winner: "Wave Washing On Iceberg, Antarctica" By Jeff Schewe
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7points
#15 Still Life Category Winner: "Magnolia Leaves" By David B Moore
Also Nominated in the Fine Art category.
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6points
#16 Domestic Animals Category Winner: "The Waltz Of Irons" By Marie Soliman
"At Camargue festivals, the horses are carried away by the guardians to catch and lead the bulls to the arena.
There, at that very moment, a dance begins with the clash of stirrups and shoes.
Synchronicity is the keystone of this ancestral tradition, which takes us on a waltz of intense beats."
There, at that very moment, a dance begins with the clash of stirrups and shoes.
Synchronicity is the keystone of this ancestral tradition, which takes us on a waltz of intense beats."
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4points
#17 Fashion And Beauty Category Winner: "Emersion" By Szymon Brodziak
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4points
#18 Travel Category Winner: "Aboard" By Simona Bonanno
"The ABOARD chronicles take us on a visual journey to witness the fascinating anonymity of this cosmopolitan society floating the seas."
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4points